The Write Stuff

Journalling the journey

A friend of mine recently asked me for advice. She has dreams and ambitions, but feels she has reached a place of stagnation. She feels she spins her wheels, but she is stuck in a rut she cannot break free from. Being in this position has her discouraged and depressed and she’s not certain what to do. She asked me if I had any suggestions.

“Journaling,” was the first word I uttered.

Journaling isn’t the only answer. It isn’t the ultimate answer. But it is a powerful tool any woman can carry throughout her journey. It is a safe space through which to vent anger and disappointment; express joy, triumph and sadness; plan, implement and celebrate accomplishments.

I, like most women, have faced numerous difficult situations in my life. Each time, keeping a journal has helped see me through those times. It has helped me to gain insight into myself and the things that I need and the things that I want — and to understand the difference between the two.

On the first page of my journal is a title: Letters to a Benevolent God. This is exactly how I use my journal. I write a letter to a kind, loving, forgiving God. I espouse everything from my wonder at being alive and aware to my aggravation with my job; my dreams and goals and the steps I must take to achieve them; even my disappointments in the people in my life. Then I leave it up to the authority of this Higher Power to show me what I must do and to help me in dealing with life’s challenges.

I suppose it’s a lot like praying except I put it down on paper.

You don’t have to give your journal a title. That is my own unique idiosyncrasy. Feel free to implement your own unique idiosyncrasy in the process.

As you journal, don’t hold anything back. Don’t be afraid to be angry, to vent your frustration, indignation or aggravation. Don’t be ashamed to cry. Don’t feel guilty about bragging. This journal is yours. This journal is YOU.

After you have kept a journal for a while, go back and read what you have written. You may be surprised to find you have taken a great many steps since your initial entry. You may be disappointed to find you have taken a few steps back. However you feel and whatever you find, it is up to you to interpret it and then discover what it is you need to do with this knowledge.

There is always a discovery about oneself to be made. Sometimes, that discover can be life-altering, or eye-opening. Some discoveries can help you see your way clear of something. Some can put you into utter turmoil, but, most often, it is turmoil that must be faced and processed before one can move forward.

In a discussion of journaling with another friend of mine, she expressed concern over someone reading her journal once she is gone. It is a legitimate concern. After all, most of us do not wish to hurt people with our words, whether we are there to defend ourselves or not. I presented her with a solution to this dilemma. Entrust the location of your journal to at least one person whom you trust implicitly. Instruct this person to acquire and destroy your journal in the event anything should happen to you.

In all truth and honesty, though, I wouldn’t suggest having your journals destroyed. Who knows the value your journals may have for future generations? I’m not speaking in terms of financial value, but rather the intrinsic value of what a woman’s life was like at the turn of this century. Your individual insight may prove very poignant to future generations. Your unique journey may be inspirational to someone else.

Think of the correspondence between Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The world may never have known how industrious or passionate these two women were about women’s rights to vote had that correspondence been destroyed.

Archeology is forever finding written communications which enlighten the rest of the world about what has come before us.

This is not to say your journal will make history. This is just to say that one never knows what actions you make today may make an impact a hundred years from now.